315
but did not silence it. As soon as I could locate the exact
position the firing was coming from I opened fire at 1210 with
6 pår. H.E.
There were about 20 30 men with machine guns and
rifles on the sandspit at the West end of Sun 3ha Island where
& hollow in the sand makes an admirable machine gun position.
The third shot from "Robin" pitched in this hollow und
the pirates then dispersed rapidly, some on to the island among
the reeds and long grass and some round the South side of it.
The latter could be seen quite plainly and a few more rounds
were fixed at them as they ran. They then embarked in a large
sampan and proceeded still further round the island. The
sampan was fired at by "Robin" and when a shot fell immediately
under its stern the pirates evacuated it and disappeared among
the reeds eto. Ceased firing at 1255 having fired 14 rounds.
Lieut. Ashby was sent on board the tow to investigate.
It had been hit once and once passenger killed.
At 1245 I interviewed the Chief of Police Mr. Pun Man Po
and in the afternoon went with him in the Asiatic Petroleum
Company motor boat down to Sainam to see where the attacks had
been made etc. from Mr. Pun I learnt that there is a big pira-
te band operating in the Nam Hoi and fut Shan districts.
number 500 men all armed and have 10 machine guns and 20
Thompson guns. They have a proper organisation with an office,
secretary, etc., and are led by a man known as Lo Po. They are
probably the same band as the one which operates at Tai Ping
They
Hu. Their attacks are made from the South side or the river
and from Sun Sha Island. They are usually made at dayareak or
sunset in sampane from both ends of the channel between Sainam
town and Sainam Islana.
Their object is to capture any rich
merchants and hold them to ransom and generally to extract
"aqueeze". /